U2 concert refund proves to be a hassle

Buying tickets for a big concert is usually a major investment, so what if the concert is cancelled? You should be entitled to a refund, but often that can be a big hassle.

U2 fan Katie Haskin went to the trouble of going down to the ticket office and selecting seats in person, but in the end there was no concert and no good way to get her money back.

Haskin has been a fan of the Irish rock band since she was 12 years old and loves going to u2 concerts. She even collects news clippings and glossy keepsake programs from all the concerts she has attended.

"They're very loud, you can just feel the music through your whole body," she says. "I usually just end up singing away."

So as soon as U2 announced its "360 Tour" was coming to the Oakland Coliseum, Haskin marched to the Ticketmaster outlet at her local Macy's store and bought four seats back in November. Months later, the big letdown.

"The concert was canceled because Bono had to have emergency back surgery," she says. "So big disappointment."

Haskin had invested $428 in the tickets. The new concert date was a year off so she asked for a refund. Ticketmaster said tickets are refundable only at the original point of purchase. So, Haskin went back to Macy's and -- surprise -- Ticketmaster was gone.

"It's not there," she says. "It's gift wrap, it's customer service, but we don't do Ticketmaster."

Haskin called Ticketmaster and was told to go to the next nearest outlet. She went to Tanforan Mall. However, that Ticketmaster would not give her money back because tickets are only refundable at the original place of purchase. And that location, of course, is no longer there. Next, Ticketmaster told her to mail her tickets to its main office in Virginia and she would get a refund in four to six weeks.

"I don't know if I want to do that because this is a lot of money and this is like cash to me," says Haskin.

Haskin thought something could go wrong if she mailed them off and she would have no way to prove she was owed the money. So she contacted 7 On Your Side and we called Ticketmaster.

The company would not explain why customers cannot return tickets to any Ticketmaster location. If an outlet shuts down, customers are supposed to mail tickets to Virginia. However, because Haskin went through so much hassle, Ticketmaster made an exception.

The company said, "We regret the consumer's inconvenience, and the situation was resolved as soon as we were made aware."

Haskin e-mailed a copy of her tickets to Ticketmaster and days later received a credit to her account for four tickets at $109 each, $436 in all.

"I thank you guys so much for helping me. I feel a great sense of relief and I'm very happy," says Haskin. "When U2 comes back I'll be back getting some more tickets probably."

So how do you get around all of this? Purchase your tickets online. Ticketmaster makes it much easier to get a refund that way. You just go back online and request it and the refund goes into your account.